World-famous pianist to play in Ridgewood

Editor’s note – Michael Parloff, longtime principal flute at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, is presenting the Grammy award winning pianist Richard Goode at his Parlance Chamber Concert this Sunday afternoon, Jan. 27, at 4 p.m. at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood for the second All-Beethoven Concert.

Ridgewood News: Can you tell our readers more about Richard Goode and the concert.

Michael Parloff: It is an honor and a thrill to welcome Richard Goode, who is widely acknowledged to be one of the most remarkable pianists of our time and a consummate interpreter of the music of Beethoven. Of his recordings of the complete 32-sonata cycle, the New York Times wrote:

"It is hard to think of any other artist on record who has been all at once technically, temperamentally and intellectually as suited to the challenges of these sonatas as Mr. Goode is. These beautifully engineered recordings may well become a landmark."

Richard Goode is that rare artist whose deep musical insight transcends the boundaries of mere instrumental virtuosity. In reviews of his performances, critics consistently speak of the musical "rightness" of his interpretations - the way in which he illuminates the expressive essence of the music itself. In an extensive profile in The New Yorker, David Blum wrote: "What one remembers most from Goode’s playing is not its beauty -- exceptional as it is - but his way of coming to grips with the composer’s central thought, so that a work tends to make sense beyond one’s previous perception of it...The spontaneous formulating process of the creator becomes tangible in the concert hall."

His 2012-2013 season includes recitals in the world’s leading halls, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and engagements in London, Berlin, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. In recent seasons he has been heard in recital and as a concerto soloist with the world’s great orchestras and conductors in cities including Budapest, Genoa, Madrid, Paris, and London.

In 2005, Richard was invited by Carnegie Hall to curate eight events on the prestigious "Perspectives" series, a set of concerts that the New York Times called "engrossing." A dedicated educator, Richard Goode serves with Mitsuko Uchida as co-Artistic Director of the Marlboro School of Music and Festival in Marlboro, Vermont.

RN: Why are you presenting Richard Goode in an all-Beethoven concert?

MP: Last year we presented our first all-Beethoven concert, an event that featured favorite pieces from his virtuosic early and heroic middle periods. I was extremely gratified by the large turnout and warm communal response to that event. There is something about the music of Beethoven that brings out the best in people. At a time when the daily news confronts us with the worst that humanity has to offer, Beethoven’s music gives us a soaring, transcendent vision of the possibilities of the human spirit.

With the success of last season’s concert still reverberating in my mind, I felt that we should present a second all-Beethoven event, this time focusing on music from his final period. The three sonatas that Richard will perform on Sunday afternoon date from the same period of creative inspiration in which he produced such elevated masterworks as the 9th Symphony and the Missa Solemnis. The three last sonatas are similarly joyful, transcendent works representing the culmination of Beethoven’s art. Richard Goode’s special insight about this repertoire promises to make this a truly memorable afternoon of music making.

As in our past events, I will introduce the pieces on the program and talk a bit about the composer. Complete program, location, and ticket information for this event can be found at ParlanceChamberConcerts.org. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 800-838-3006.

The concert will take place on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. at West Side Presbyterian Church. 6 South Monroe St., Ridgewood. Free parking and childcare for children 6 and under. Tickets at the door: Adults $40; Seniors (65+) $30; Students $20.